


Keeping the Monsters Away

by obsessedwithstabler



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Depression, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, RPF, Romantic Friendship, angst like whoa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 08:02:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14712255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessedwithstabler/pseuds/obsessedwithstabler
Summary: "Dream. I'll keep the monsters away." A very, very short RPF inspired by the adorable Jared/Rich friendship.





	Keeping the Monsters Away

**Author's Note:**

> So...this kind of came out of the blue. I have never written any stories about actual actors, but this got stuck in my head and demanded to be written. It's set sometime in season three, after Rich's first appearance but before Genevieve joins the show. There's mentions of Jared's first engagement and a lot about his depression, so be warned. I kept everything as accurate as possible and I really hope you enjoy it.

 

Sometimes Jared Padalecki felt like he was absolutely broken.

 

Logically he understood that depression was a god-awful mistress. He had a great life, an enviable one. He was the co-star of a wildly popular television series that had just been green-lit for its fourth season, and his costar was his best friend. Hell, Jensen was basically his brother. He had throngs of fans who adored him, a beautiful home, and a huge family who still saw him as Jared and not a paycheck.

 

At the same time, he had also been struggling with depression for as long as he could remember. His fiance had dumped him days after they became engaged, he worked grueling hours, and when he met people he often wondered if they liked him or the idea of him. He was never really sure.

 

And then, on the darkest days, he wondered what was so damn great about being alive. The darkness was all-encompassing, swallowing him alive.

 

Jensen was one of the few people who was truly aware of his struggle. Yes, he talked about fairly openly, but he tried to keep the darkest parts to himself in the hopes that he could inspire his fans to keep fighting. To a lesser extent, some of their coworkers knew as well. Sometimes it was just impossible to hide. Luckily everyone was understanding and Jensen was always around to shield him if things got too bad.

 

But today he wasn’t.

 

They had been filming this episode for close to a week. The trickster was once more wreaking havoc in the brothers’ lives, and the only scene left to finish was one between Sam and the trickster. Since Jensen was done, he had taken an impromptu mini-vacation with his parents. Singer promised this would be the last day and Jared felt his teeth grit as he leaned against the set wall, his script clutched in his hands.

 

From his position he could see Rich chatting animatedly with one of the crew. Rich was something of an enigma, at least to Jared. The man barely cleared five and a half feet tall but sometimes he felt larger than life. His personality was both grating and endearing, much like that of his on-screen counterpart. In just three episodes, Loki had managed to kill Dean over a hundred times, drive Sam to insanity, and reveal himself as a demi-god. He was certainly layered and Jared had suspected Sam held an attraction to the annoying being.

 

He certainly did.

 

A tremor went through his hands as he sank a little lower. He just had to get through the next few hours, then he could crawl into bed and ignore everything but his pillows.

 

Because what was so freaking great about consciousness?

 

The words in front of his face suddenly blurred as he finally settled into a sitting position on the ground. No one would bother him; he sometimes took this position when lost deep in thought.

 

Or they noticed and didn’t care.

 

Finally setting the script aside, he ran his fingers through his mussy hair.

 

Nobody gave a shit.

 

He was drowning.

 

He didn’t see Rich notice his posture, nor did he realize the older man was sauntering over to him until he felt a warm presence at his side.

 

“Hey, kiddo.”

 

Jared drew his knees up, keeping his face hidden. 

 

“Okay, I think you’re done for today.” Rich shifted so that he was leaning over directly in front of Jared. “Come on, big guy.”

 

Still Jared remained completely still.

 

Suddenly gentle hands were on him, coaxing him to his feet. Rich’s touch was firm but reassuring as he took Jared’s elbow and guided him off the set.

 

Faintly Jared could hear concerned whispers but no one stopped them. He kept his head down, staring intently at his shuffling feet. Rich was a half-step in front of him, humming quietly and grip unwavering.

 

They reached Jared’s trailer and somehow Rich easily opened the door before urging Jared inside. Jared stumbled into his bedroom and fell into the bed, listening as Rich shut the door firmly and locked it. Then there was the refrigerator door opening and some more shuffling.

 

“Hey, Mr. Singer? Yeah, Jared’s done today. Yeah. Yeah, I will. Thanks.”

 

Jared closed his eyes tightly as tears prickled at them.

 

There was the sounds of the microwave being used, and then Rich was speaking again. Normally he was playful and loud, but this time he was uncharacteristically quiet, firm.

 

“Jensen? Rich. He’s having a bad afternoon. No, I don’t think you need to come back. Not right now, anyway. I told Singer he’s done for the day and I brought him to his trailer. About to put up that ‘do not disturb’ sign you left. Thank God his fridge is stocked. I know he didn’t touch the Kraft table.”

 

There was a pause, no doubt Jensen giving him some specific instructions.

 

“Chamomile. Got it. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Nah, no one’s getting in here. I’ll make sure of it. No, I won’t leave him alone. Okay. Thanks.”

 

A few minutes later, the bed dipped very slightly.

 

“Jared?” Rich’s voice was soft and soothing. “Got a little snack for you.”

 

Slowly Jared lifted his flush face from the pillows. As promised Rich was holding a little tray that had a mug of tea, as well as a plate of cashews, hummus, and cubed cheese.

 

“Come on, kiddo. Eat a few bites, relax, and drink all of the tea. Then you can crash.”

 

Slowly Jared shifted into a sitting position and took the tray from Rich. His fingers trembled as he picked up the mug and sipped at the tea.

 

“Great… Jensen wants you to check in with him later. I told him you were gonna take a little nap first.”

 

The younger man gave a tiny nod.

 

With Rich’s coaxing, he polished off the tea and snacks. Then he curled up in his bed, tucking into himself.

 

Rich set the dirty dishes aside and shut off the lights before returning to his perch on the bed. “Jensen also said this would help,” he murmured.

 

Fresh tears rolled from Jared’s eyes without his permission. “I’m fine…”

 

Rich scoffed and made himself more comfortable. “Right. I know I don’t know you as well as Jensen does, but give me a little credit.” He pulled a light blanket over Jared.

 

“You don’t have to stay…”

 

“I know. But I want to. I’m totally great at lurking.”

 

That earned a soft, breathy laugh from Jared.

 

“See? Good for something.” His fingers gently brushed Jared’s hair from his forehead. “Now, as promised, nap time. Things’ll be better when you wake up, promise.”

 

“You don’t know…”

 

“Course I do. Because when you wake up, you’ll have a good talk with Jensen. Then we’ll order a very fattening pizza. Or Chinese, I’m not picky. We’ll watch some bad B-movies, and you won’t think about work for the rest of the night.”

 

Jared huffed softly, his eyelids suddenly too heavy to keep open anymore.

 

“There you go.” Rich’s voice was full of fondness. “Dream. I’ll keep the monsters away.”

 

He drifted off obediently, and as though Rich’s promise was full of magic, his dreams were only good.

_ Finis. _

**Author's Note:**

> So there it is. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Drop me a line, and happy reading.


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